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There is something about Hallowe'en that, even 40 years later, torments the corners of Jamie Lee Curtis's mind.

Curtis stood on the red carpet for the premiere of Hallowe'en, the 2018 follow-up of the 1978 horror film classic by filmmaker John Carpenter, in which he takes up the role of Laurie Strode, with an actor dressed as the masked and murderous Michael Myers hovering over his shoulder in a recreation of the front porch from the Myers house in the courtyard of the TCL Chinese theater in Hollywood. And when The Hollywood Reporter When asked if he had revisited his youngest self with a new revision of his tie-break role, Curtis shook his head – "Not a second" – then remembered something extraordinary about the new version for director David Gordon Green.

"When David said he was going to do my granddaughter's callback scene in the classroom, I was trying to remember what the dialogue was, and so, I said:" Oh, you mean the scene where "Costaine He wrote that destiny was related in some way only to religion, where Samuels felt that destiny was more like a natural element like earth, air, fire and water, "he recalled, reciting a literal passage from Carpenter's script. and his then wife and producing partner Deborah Hill. "And he looked at me and said:" Did you remember that dialogue? " I thought: I remember every word of that movie & # 39; Each word. Every second From that movie I remember. "

Hallowe'en she created a special niche in her memory, she says, because, on the cusp of 20 years, she offered the daughter of movie idols Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis her first entry into film acting, establishing the course of her career early as a horror Grape "screams queen" and an evolution, over four decades, in an actress known for her versatility on screen and her off-screen frankness.

"It was the most powerful moment of my life," she says. "I had been fired from a television series, I was under contract at Universal, I thought I could be fired any day, and having a script where I was the protagonist of the film was extraordinary."

What it did not At the time, she points out, it resonated markedly for her and for her mother Leigh, who as a crucial central figure in the life of Alfred Hitchcock. Psychopath It was a prototype shrieking queen. "It's funny, that's not how it works," Curtis said. "There are not many family reunions about it. You are only doing your thing. And then, in retrospect, you look back and say, "Oh, that was great."

Curtis does not agree with the notion that she used to be the first hero of the slasher movie to find the agency and fight her persecutor. "Everyone defends," she offered. "All human beings who are attacked, all human beings who have violence perpetrated against them defend themselves". Each one of them. Simply unfortunately, in these films, they do not succeed. But I believe that the human desire to be alive is alive in everyone. Laurie Strode fought back and survived, and she's one of the lucky ones … I think if you look back on that original movie, everyone who died tried to save their own lives. "

In the new film, after decades of intense preparation, Laurie can pose as deadly a threat to Michael Myers as he does to her. "I liked the idea that she was ready, that she had spent her life preparing for that and, of course, all the losses you could have," Curtis said. "She lost her daughter, lost her relationships, all her friends, and lived in total isolation for 40 years, waiting for him to escape. And guess what?"

The original Hallowe'en It also had a lasting effect on the director / co-screenwriter Green: he can vividly remember his first vision. "I was at a pajama party when I was 11 or 12 years old and I was forbidden to see her," she said. THR. "And I remember seeing it in my friend's house and being so terrified that I do not even think I finished the movie." I think I got sick and went home. I called my mother to come and get me!

I remember that I was not allowed to see it for a long time, "recalled Green's collaborator, co-writer and producer, Danny McBride." So for a while I just had to figure out why I was not allowed to see a movie called Hallowe'enAnd what does Michael Myers do that my parents do not approve? And then I saw it and said, "Oh. This is the reason why. & # 39;

It was important for the filmmakers, even to have the blessing of Carpenter, who served as a consultant on the project (and composer of the now iconic thematic music, which also returns). "None of us was interested in doing it unless John was interested in the idea," McBride said. "We did not want to scramble the pens or do something that would dishonor the franchise. So we offered it to him and we made sure we were on the right track. "

"At the beginning of the script stage, he said:" Keep it simple and keep it relentless, "Green added. "I thought it was really good sailing advice on this trip." Green was hoping to pay tribute to the Carpenter brand while at the same time having his own cinematic style. "From beginning to end, this was trying to honor the film I had made in 1978," said the filmmaker. "At the same time, we have to recognize a new period of time and the way we put together the new films and the technical capabilities of making horror movies and things like that, so inevitably there will be some evolution." It was personal only because of the nature of my participation in these iconic characters. "

Executive producer Jason Blum, who wore a black t-shirt and suit coordinated in "orange orange Hollywood, which is orange with an elegant shine," said that what really inspired fear in its end was successfully merging the focus of the contemporary terror of Blumhouse Productions to one of the franchises of the jewel in the crown of the pantheon of the terror firm.

"We have a very specific way in which we approach, specifically, the creation of scary movies," Blum said. "We had never really applied it to IP, this is so iconic and it has been around for so long, so I was really in the challenge of what it would be like to run. Hallowe'en through the Blumhouse system. I'm very proud of the result, but that does not mean it was not difficult and very stressful on the road. I would definitely say it was one of the most difficult films we've done, if not the It's harder to take off from the ground. "

"We are used to making movies that are small," Blum added. "There are two people who make decisions, usually: me and the director. When a movie has been around for so long, when there have been 10 of them before, there are a lot of people, so you have to build consensus. It's like normal movies, it's a completely different thing, which is more like television. We do it on television. We do not do it that much in the movies, but it's really exciting to be here. I am very happy with the result ".

Actress Andi Matichak, who plays Strode's granddaughter, Allyson, said that even before her casting she had seen the first film of the franchise several times, drawn to its lasting elements: the chilling randomness of Myers' attacks, the performance Curtis's convincing and durability. main concept

"Michael Myers was just this emotional and emotionless killer shark that, for whatever reason, will kill whoever decides," said Matichak. "The performance of Jamie Lee Curtis, she's very strong, but at the same time very vulnerable and I found it very personal." And Debra Hill and John Carpenter came up with an epic idea of ​​the nanny's murders. new and never seen, but when I saw it many years later, it was still something I've never seen. it holds! "

In fact, being killed by the unstoppable form of the franchise has become a badge of honor for today's young actors, says Virginia Gardner, who, spoiler alert, meets a bloody end at the hands of the killer. "For the rest of my life, I can say," Michael Myers killed me, "that's great!" Laughed Gardner. "I mean, except for the fact that I'm scared of my own wardrobe now, it was great."